Dungler



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. DUNGLER CLOTH ENGAGING MEANS J. DUNGLER 2,736,082

CLOTH ENGAGING MEANS Feb. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2, 1950 United States Patent O CLOTH ENGAGIN G MEANS Julien Dungler, Basel, Switzerland Application September 2,1950, SeralrNo. 183,035l

6 Claims. (CI. 26-61') The present invention. relates. to.l cloth engaging means or devices for tentering and likeV machines in which the selvedge of the fabric, cloth and: the like is engaged to travel along a predetermined path, e. g; through a treatment plant. For this purpose a lnumber of such. devices are arranged on endless carriers and extend alongside each of the selvedges. of the fabric.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide means enabling uniform exposure of exible band carriers, in particularsteel'l bands, to the inuence of an atmosphere of. varying temperatures (.as` where the band over a portion of its path passesl through a treatment chamber lled with hot` fluids or vapors), whichhas the tendency to create stresses and other undesirable' inuences on the band.

It isanother featurev of the inventionA to provide means affording ready inspection of those areas of the band carrier immediately surrounding theV points of fixation of the band with the cloth engaging devices for-"Which rivets, screw bolts or like attachments are used.

Still another object of the invention' is to provide means ensuring eicient and uninterruptedoperation of tentering machines and like plants and avoiding damagev or lesions to the band-carrier.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide means reducing the time of surveillance of the tentering and like machines toa minimum.

More particularly, it is a further object of' this invention to provide means facilitating attachment of one or a series of cloth engaging devicesA on a 'exibl'e or band.

carrier in such manner that the body of eaclr device' makes contact with only one of the faces of the bandl carrier.

It is still another object. of the invention to provide means rendcringpos'sible the assembly of a series of cloth engaging means, such as pins, clips, etc. on one surface of an endless flexible carrier, and the placement and location of the unobstructed and freely accessible area of the opposite surface of the band or carrier on guide means, such as rollers, for guidance and support thereon.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following descriptionof some embodiments of the invention, reference being had: to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of. a part of a steel band carrier engaged by a driving end sprocket therefor, the band serving as a carrier for sets of pins devices according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the band and the pins devices of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the band and the pins devices shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of cloth engaging device mounted on a steel band or tape in accordance with/'the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational View of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, there ice is. shownan endless steel tape or band 10 serving as a carrier for a' large number of spaced apart cloth engaging devices, such as pin supports 11, which are closely spaced along the outer face 10a of the horizontally extending bandi() and are secured thereto by means of screws 12'. The heads 13 of thescrews 12 areV countersunlc so as to'be nsh with the underface 10b of the band' 1'0 which is enabled by means of its supporting plate 11a to passA along U-shaped guideway 15 at 15a, 15b overa set of guide rollers` 14, the latter being journaled in said angular guideway 15 extending below the upper run of the band 10;

Each of the supporting plates 11a is formed with a lug 16 integral with and` projectingY beyond the edge of guide edge 10c of the band 10 and provided with suitable apertures 17, these apertures mating with teeth 18 of a sprocket Wheel 19 which is rotatably journaled in a bracket 291. The bracket 2) is carried on an extremity of an arm 21 which is slidably mounted in a stationary support 22, a coil spring 23 being inserted between the bracket and the support tending to displace the sprocket' 19 toward the left (as viewed in Fig. 1), thereby tensioningl the band 10 against a similar wheel (not shown) mounted opposite wheel 19. It will be understood that the sprocket wheel 129' and/or its companion wheel may be driven to impart motion to the band 10 and, thereby, to the devices 11, as

indicated by the arrow 24 in Figs. l, 2 and 4.

Secured by means of screws 25 tothe body of each of the supports 11 is a strip 26 having embedded therein two rows of upstanding, tapering pins 27; the points of these pins project above the strip 26 for a sufficient distance to enable these pins to grip the selvedge of a piece of fabric, indicated schematically at 28, While these devices traverse the upper run of the band 10. The pins 27 representing cloth engaging means advance with the fabric 28 together with their supports 11 which are in unilateral contact with and mounted on the carrier 10; it will also be seen that the lugsV 16 with their aperturesk 17 effectively form the links of a sprocket chain engaged by the wheel. 19.

It will be further recognized that the cloth engaging means 27 are disposed at one side of band 1.0, whereas apertures 17 are arranged at the opposite side of band 10, although both are positioned-at one andv the same face 10a of the band carrier.

Rollers 14 are disposed in a plane positioned substantially intermediate the plane in which said pins 27 and the plane in which apertures 17 extend.

Either or both of the sprockets associated with the band' 10, such as the wheel 19, may be positively driven either continuously or intermittently by some independent drive mechanism (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 7, there is shown a steel ribbon or band arranged edgewise, so that thev facesk of which extend in vertical direction.

A set of clip devices 111, of which only one has been shown, is secured to the band 110, the clips being spacedv therealong essentially in the manner indicated in Fig. 1 with respect to device 11. Each clip 111 comprises a vertical arm 116 which is in contact with the` band 110 and secured thereto only to one face of this band by means of screws 112e, 112b having heads 113e, 113b.

A stationary support provides a track for the band 110 somewhat below the latter and'to the rear thereof. The support 115 has a horizontal bearing surface 115'a with guide element 115C facing the band 110 and a vertical bearing surface 115i: remote from this band. A vertical roller 114.1, journaled in the lower part of arm 116, bears upon the surface 115e while a horizontal roller 114b, journaled in a projection 117 extending rearwardly from the arm 116, bears upon the surface 115b. Since the center of gravity of the device 111 is located forwardly of the band 110 (to the left thereof as viewed in Fig. 5),

and also at least slightly forwardly of the roller 11411, the engagement of these rollers with the associated bearing surfaces will stabilize the device in the position shown.

The cloth engaging means of the device 111 is a clip of any suitable construction. It includes a blade 127 extending along the lower edge of a lever 126 which is pivoted in a bifurcate forward extension 129 of the arm 116, the'pivot being constituted by pin 130 the ends of which are traversed by cotter pins 131. The lever 126 terminates at the top in a finger piece 132 and lalso has two downwardly slanting, rearwardly extending side arms 133 between which extends a shaft 134 carrying a set of disks 135. A depending lug 139 integral with the extension 129, positioned forwardly of the band 110, carries a horizontal contact plate 136 which is fastened thereto by screws 137 and which is provided with a plurality of slots 138 receiving the disks 13S, the latter projecting through these slots whenever the fabric 128, designed to be engaged by the clip, is sufficiently withdrawn that only its selvedge remains between the plate 136 and the blade 127. In this position the weight of the disks 135 combines with the pull of the fabric 12S to bind the latter between the lever 126 and the plate 136, this being the position illustrated in Fig. 5.

The lever 126 is provided with a cutout or window 140 aligned with a similar window in the lug 139, thereby giving access to the head 113b of screw 112b; access to the head 113a of screw 112e is gained through an arcuate recess 141 provided at the underside of lug 139. Both of these measures enable the area surrounding these bolts to be observed and inspected at all times without necessitating removal of the clip device 111 from the band 110.

The arms 116 of all the clip devices 111, mounted in close succession on the band 110, effectively constitute the teeth of a bendable or fiexible rack adapted to mate with the teeth of a sprocket or gear wheel similar to wheel 19 of Fig. 1, for the purpose of tensioning and, if desired, advancing the band 110 and the devices 111 as previously indicated.

It will thus be seen that in the embodiment of Figs. -7, the clip device 111 (through its arm 116) is in contact with but one of the faces of the carrier 110 which enables the cloth engaging parts 127, 136 to travel with the fabric 128. It may be mentioned that at a point where the band 110 approaches the end of its loop, means for releasing the selvedge of the cloth 128 from the grip of the clip parts 127, 136, are provided (not shown) operating to pivot the finger piece 132 to lift the blade 127 from the plate 136.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described hereinabove and shown in the drawing have been given merely for purposes of illustration and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention which is capable of various adaptations and modifications without exceeding its scope as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. The combination, with a movable steel band, of tentering clip devices including cloth engaging means spaced from one of the faces of said steel band, and a support for said cloth engaging means, said support being in contact with only the other of the faces of said steel band, and fastening means securing said support to said steel band, said support being provided with an extension overlying but spaced from said one of said band faces,

said fastening means comprising at least one screw bolt, said extension being provided with a cutout giving access to said screw bolt.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said steel band and said extension are vertically disposed, said cloth engaging means including a horizontal plate secured to the lower end of said extension and projecting forwardly of said steel band.

3. The combination, in a tentering and like cloth treating machine, of a substantially flat and exible band carrier, of cloth engaging means, supporting means for said cloth engaging means fixed to and in contact with one surface only of said carrier, actuatable means disposed on said supporting means and above said carrier to facilitate movement of said carrier and said cloth engaging means, and guide means positioned in a plane substantially intermediate that of said cloth engaging means and that of said actuatable means.

4. ln a tenter clip structure having a clip plate', a substantially at and fiexible band carrier having opposite surfaces, said band carrier extending perpendicular to said clip plate and spaced therefrom, an arm forming part of said clip structure and in contact with one of said surfaces of said carrier, a plurality of spaced roller means supporting said arm, the exis of one of said roller means being substantially perpendicular to the axis of another of said roller means, whereby said band carrier is positioned intermediate said roller means, and guide means for said roller means and maintaining said band carrier substantially in upright position with respect to said clip plate, said arm extending over said band carrier and being provided with a lug spaced from the other surface of said band carrier and supporting said clip plate, saidarm forming a tooth facilitating movement of said band carrter.

5. Means for carrrying cloth engageable elements for tenter machines; comprising a substantially flat steel band, means supporting said cloth engageable elements in spaced relation to said steel band, said supporting means being attached to and in contact with one surface only of said steel band, roller guide means for carrying said supporting means, and operable means forming part of said supporting means and facilitating movement of said steel band by said guide means, said operable means being positioned at a level at least partly above said steel band and above that of at least some of said roller guide means, each of said latter roller guide means rotating about an axis extending in a plane below that in which said steel band is positioned.

6. Means for carrying cloth engageable elements according to claim 5, wherein a base plate forms a part of said cloth engageable elements, said base plate extending in a direction perpendicular to that of said steel band.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Dec. 5, 1949 

